SKIMMING STONES
and Other Ways of Being in the Wild
A thin, dried crust of bladderwrack, empty shells, small gobs of caulking tar, frayed lengths of rope and bits of driftwood gave away the high tide mark. From there to the waterline was the best hunting ground: higher up the shore were the angular blocks torn from the hillocks beyond, while nearer the waves finer shingle was deposited. In-between, skimmers of the right radius were pressed by the retreating tide into shallow scrapes in the damp sand. We brushed them smooth of grains and filled our pockets. When looking up with the tang of salt heavy on our tongues and dirt under our nails, we discovered our vague anxieties about the place we found ourselves in had disappeared. We saw the terrain through different eyes.
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SKIMMING STONES and Other Ways of Being in the Wild is a book of simple skills that can help us to interact with nature, achieve a deeper connection with it and even step inside another dimension. Rob Cowen and Leo Critchley teach us, for example, making and flying a kite, making an elder whistle, damming a stream and building a den - and at the same time teach us about life. Their techniques are intended to be not only of practical value but also techniques for meditation. They help us to live in the moment, recover ancient insights and rhythms and encourage nature to reveal to us her secrets and treasures. They write that '...there are forces deep in everyone's subconscious that find a pure expression in the simplest of activities. This book explains why we should be taking the time to do them. It is born out of a wish to share our passion for our landscape and the contemplative, reflective pleasures and joys that were well-known to our grandparents, but which are in danger of being lost and forgotten. They will help us get back to a place where we all belong'.
SKIMMING STONES and Other Ways of Being in the Wild is being published by Hodder/Coronet on 16th February 2012.
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